Stop the Gun Running to Haiti |
"It's no secret that Haiti is facing its worst security crisis in recent memory, with criminal gangs in control of increasingly large parts of the country. Insecurity is not just a problem in the capital, Port-au-Prince; according to our partners, gangs are now operating even in isolated rural areas. The gangs have power because they are armed. A major source of weapons is the United States, entering Haiti through Miami, often by way of third countries in the Caribbean. Some of the gun running is illegal; in other cases, weapons are destined for the police force but end up in the hands of the gangs, according to our partners.
"Haiti's future depends on neutralizing the gangs. Last week Quixote Center, together with our colleagues from the Haiti Advocacy Working Group, met with the Office of Representative Joaquin Castro (D-TX), who is the ranking member of the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, to discuss security in Haiti. We were able to lift up the voices of our partners in Haiti, who are asking that the United States put a stop to the gun running." |